Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Tribute to Richard HarrisA statue has been put up of Richard Harris, in Kilkee, West Clare; which will be unveiled Saturday. The statue, designed by Seamus Connelly, shows Harris playing racquet ball. Harris won a racquet-ball competition four times in a row in the west Clare resort where he spent his summer holidays as a young man.Mr. di Lucia, a cousin of Hollywood actor Danny DeVito, said Limerick-born Harris's ties to the area began when he spent holidays there with his brothers during his youth. Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore"Every time he came to Kilkee he brought an air of joviality to the town," he said.Harris, who starred in The Field and in more recent years as the wily head of Hogwarts School in Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, died in October 2002 at the age of 72.Russell Crowe, who was a good friend of Harris', will be taking part in the unveiling of a statue in Kilkee, West Clare, commemorating the Irish legend. Though busy filming in America, the Oscar winning actor said he would take a break from filming to come to Clare for the ceremony on Saturday.Harris's three sons are travelling from Los Angelos and will unveil the statue. His three surviving brothers also plan to attend.Crowe will be arriving in Ireland on Friday with an entourage of about 15 people, including his wife and two children.**This from WizardNews and BBC